99: Keep Your Distance

"It's nothing."

Kartika answered Farhan with a faint smile, her shoulders raised in a slight shrug. "I was just trying to see things from your perspective, which is why I can understand why you might feel compelled to place the blame on me. You're protective of her, and that's normal."

As she spoke, Farhan’s gaze bore into her, unrelenting and intense.

"So what then?" he bit back, his eyes narrowing with a predatory intensity.

"I mean, it's natural for you to prioritize her," Kartika continued, pausing briefly before adding, "If I were you, I would probably do the same."

Kartika hadn’t been saved by someone before, hadn't felt the desperation that Farhan had, but she could still imagine, even if her empathy was only a fraction of what Farhan felt. That moment when death looms, when your next breath might be your last—only to suddenly find a hand reaching out to pull you back. Who wouldn't be moved by such an act?

Farhan’s expression was overcast, his features stormy as he looked back